As the cost of sensors, communications systems and navigational systems has dropped, operators of commercial and fleet vehicles now have the ability to collect a tremendous amount of data about the vehicles that they operate, including geographical position data collected during the operation of the vehicle.
Vehicle fleet operators often operate vehicles along predefined and generally invariant routes. For example, buses frequently operate on predefined routes, according to a predefined time schedule (for example, along a route that is geographically, as well as temporally defined). Preparing a predefined route can be a tedious task. Route planning software is available from a plurality of different vendors. As with any software application, a learning curve is involved. Furthermore, over time such predefined routes must be modified, to take into account changes in local traffic patterns, due to factors such as changes in traffic volumes on certain roads, road closures, and congestion due to road repairs and construction, requiring further use of route planning software to update an optimal route. The task of comparing actual driver performance using data (such as Global Positioning System (GPS) data) collected from vehicles traversing a predefined route with the optimal route can require one or more additional programs be used to perform the comparison.
It would be desirable to provide such fleet operators with additional means for developing optimal routes, to compare actual driver performance with the optimal route, and to update the optimal route in response to changes in traffic patterns.